101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB2167

 

Introduced , by Rep. Camille Y. Lilly

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
775 ILCS 5/1-103  from Ch. 68, par. 1-103
775 ILCS 5/7-101  from Ch. 68, par. 7-101
775 ILCS 5/7-114 new

    Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that a formerly convicted person may petition the Department of Human Rights for a grant of protected class status. Provides that the Department may grant protected class status to a formerly convicted person who meets the following conditions: the person has complied with each term and condition of his or her parole, mandatory supervised release, probation, or conditional discharge; the person has obtained a high school diploma or received a high school equivalency certificate; the person is employed or actively seeking employment or is enrolled in or has successfully completed a vocational training or college educational program; the person has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor within the last 5 years; and the person has completed all sanctions imposed upon him or her through due process of law. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules concerning what constitutes an intellectual or developmental disability that prevents the formerly convicted person from meeting the some of the conditions and who is qualified to diagnose such a person. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to carry out the provisions. Provides that protected class status previously granted to a formerly convicted person shall be revoked by the Department after notice and a hearing, if the formerly convicted person is subsequently convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. Provides that the revocation process shall be initiated by a petition that sets forth the date of the subsequent offense, description of the offense, date of conviction for the subsequent offense, and sentence imposed on the conviction. Provides that a copy of the petition and notice of the hearing date shall be served on the formerly convicted person.


LRB101 06683 LNS 51710 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2167LRB101 06683 LNS 51710 b

1    AN ACT concerning human rights.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by
5changing Sections 1-103 and 7-101 and by adding Section 7-114
6as follows:
 
7    (775 ILCS 5/1-103)  (from Ch. 68, par. 1-103)
8    Sec. 1-103. General definitions. When used in this Act,
9unless the context requires otherwise, the term:
10    (A) Age. "Age" means the chronological age of a person who
11is at least 40 years old, except with regard to any practice
12described in Section 2-102, insofar as that practice concerns
13training or apprenticeship programs. In the case of training or
14apprenticeship programs, for the purposes of Section 2-102,
15"age" means the chronological age of a person who is 18 but not
16yet 40 years old.
17    (B) Aggrieved party. "Aggrieved party" means a person who
18is alleged or proved to have been injured by a civil rights
19violation or believes he or she will be injured by a civil
20rights violation under Article 3 that is about to occur.
21    (C) Charge. "Charge" means an allegation filed with the
22Department by an aggrieved party or initiated by the Department
23under its authority.

 

 

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1    (D) Civil rights violation. "Civil rights violation"
2includes and shall be limited to only those specific acts set
3forth in Sections 2-102, 2-103, 2-105, 3-102, 3-102.1, 3-103,
43-104, 3-104.1, 3-105, 3-105.1, 4-102, 4-103, 5-102, 5A-102,
56-101, and 6-102 of this Act.
6    (E) Commission. "Commission" means the Human Rights
7Commission created by this Act.
8    (F) Complaint. "Complaint" means the formal pleading filed
9by the Department with the Commission following an
10investigation and finding of substantial evidence of a civil
11rights violation.
12    (G) Complainant. "Complainant" means a person including
13the Department who files a charge of civil rights violation
14with the Department or the Commission.
15    (H) Department. "Department" means the Department of Human
16Rights created by this Act.
17    (I) Disability. "Disability" means a determinable physical
18or mental characteristic of a person, including, but not
19limited to, a determinable physical characteristic which
20necessitates the person's use of a guide, hearing or support
21dog, the history of such characteristic, or the perception of
22such characteristic by the person complained against, which may
23result from disease, injury, congenital condition of birth or
24functional disorder and which characteristic:
25        (1) For purposes of Article 2, is unrelated to the
26    person's ability to perform the duties of a particular job

 

 

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1    or position and, pursuant to Section 2-104 of this Act, a
2    person's illegal use of drugs or alcohol is not a
3    disability;
4        (2) For purposes of Article 3, is unrelated to the
5    person's ability to acquire, rent, or maintain a housing
6    accommodation;
7        (3) For purposes of Article 4, is unrelated to a
8    person's ability to repay;
9        (4) For purposes of Article 5, is unrelated to a
10    person's ability to utilize and benefit from a place of
11    public accommodation;
12        (5) For purposes of Article 5, also includes any
13    mental, psychological, or developmental disability,
14    including autism spectrum disorders.
15    (I-5) Formerly Convicted Person. "Formerly convicted
16person" means a person: (1) who has been convicted of a felony
17or misdemeanor under the laws of this State, an ordinance of a
18unit of local government of this State, another state,
19territory, or possession of the United States, federal law, or
20the laws of another country that guarantees due process rights
21similar to those of the United States; and (2) who has
22completed his or her parole or mandatory supervised release
23term or term of probation or conditional discharge.
24    (J) Marital status. "Marital status" means the legal status
25of being married, single, separated, divorced, or widowed.
26    (J-1) Military status. "Military status" means a person's

 

 

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1status on active duty in or status as a veteran of the armed
2forces of the United States, status as a current member or
3veteran of any reserve component of the armed forces of the
4United States, including the United States Army Reserve, United
5States Marine Corps Reserve, United States Navy Reserve, United
6States Air Force Reserve, and United States Coast Guard
7Reserve, or status as a current member or veteran of the
8Illinois Army National Guard or Illinois Air National Guard.
9    (K) National origin. "National origin" means the place in
10which a person or one of his or her ancestors was born.
11    (K-5) "Order of protection status" means a person's status
12as being a person protected under an order of protection issued
13pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, Article
14112A of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, the Stalking No
15Contact Order Act, or the Civil No Contact Order Act, or an
16order of protection issued by a court of another state.
17    (L) Person. "Person" includes one or more individuals,
18partnerships, associations or organizations, labor
19organizations, labor unions, joint apprenticeship committees,
20or union labor associations, corporations, the State of
21Illinois and its instrumentalities, political subdivisions,
22units of local government, legal representatives, trustees in
23bankruptcy or receivers.
24    (L-5) Pregnancy. "Pregnancy" means pregnancy, childbirth,
25or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or
26childbirth.

 

 

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1    (M) Public contract. "Public contract" includes every
2contract to which the State, any of its political subdivisions,
3or any municipal corporation is a party.
4    (N) Religion. "Religion" includes all aspects of religious
5observance and practice, as well as belief, except that with
6respect to employers, for the purposes of Article 2, "religion"
7has the meaning ascribed to it in paragraph (F) of Section
82-101.
9    (O) Sex. "Sex" means the status of being male or female.
10    (O-1) Sexual orientation. "Sexual orientation" means
11actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality,
12bisexuality, or gender-related identity, whether or not
13traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at
14birth. "Sexual orientation" does not include a physical or
15sexual attraction to a minor by an adult.
16    (P) Unfavorable military discharge. "Unfavorable military
17discharge" includes discharges from the Armed Forces of the
18United States, their Reserve components, or any National Guard
19or Naval Militia which are classified as RE-3 or the equivalent
20thereof, but does not include those characterized as RE-4 or
21"Dishonorable".
22    (Q) Unlawful discrimination. "Unlawful discrimination"
23means discrimination against a person because of his or her:
24(1) race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex,
25marital status, order of protection status, disability,
26military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or unfavorable

 

 

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1discharge from military service as those terms are defined in
2this Section; or (2) status as a formerly convicted person if
3the person has been granted protective class status by the
4Department as provided in Section 7-114.
5(Source: P.A. 100-714, eff. 1-1-19; revised 10-4-18.)
 
6    (775 ILCS 5/7-101)  (from Ch. 68, par. 7-101)
7    Sec. 7-101. Powers and Duties. In addition to other powers
8and duties prescribed in this Act, the Department shall have
9the following powers:
10    (A) Rules and Regulations. To adopt, promulgate, amend, and
11rescind rules and regulations not inconsistent with the
12provisions of this Act pursuant to the Illinois Administrative
13Procedure Act.
14    (B) Charges. To issue, receive, investigate, conciliate,
15settle, and dismiss charges filed in conformity with this Act.
16    (C) Compulsory Process. To request subpoenas as it deems
17necessary for its investigations.
18    (D) Complaints. To file complaints with the Commission in
19conformity with this Act.
20    (E) Judicial Enforcement. To seek temporary relief and to
21enforce orders of the Commission in conformity with this Act.
22    (F) Equal Employment Opportunities. To take such action as
23may be authorized to provide for equal employment opportunities
24and affirmative action.
25    (G) Recruitment; Research; Public Communication; Advisory

 

 

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1Councils. To engage in such recruitment, research and public
2communication and create such advisory councils as may be
3authorized to effectuate the purposes of this Act.
4    (H) Coordination with other Agencies. To coordinate its
5activities with federal, state, and local agencies in
6conformity with this Act.
7    (I) Public Grants; Private Gifts. To accept public grants
8and private gifts as may be authorized.
9    (J) Education and Training. To implement a formal and
10unbiased program of education and training for all employees
11assigned to investigate and conciliate charges under Articles
127A and 7B. The training program shall include the following:
13        (1) substantive and procedural aspects of the
14    investigation and conciliation positions;
15        (2) current issues in human rights law and practice;
16        (3) lectures by specialists in substantive areas
17    related to human rights matters;
18        (4) orientation to each operational unit of the
19    Department and Commission;
20        (5) observation of experienced Department
21    investigators and attorneys conducting conciliation
22    conferences, combined with the opportunity to discuss
23    evidence presented and rulings made;
24        (6) the use of hypothetical cases requiring the
25    Department investigator and conciliation conference
26    attorney to issue judgments as a means to evaluating

 

 

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1    knowledge and writing ability;
2        (7) writing skills;
3        (8) computer skills, including but not limited to word
4    processing and document management.
5    A formal, unbiased and ongoing professional development
6program including, but not limited to, the above-noted areas
7shall be implemented to keep Department investigators and
8attorneys informed of recent developments and issues and to
9assist them in maintaining and enhancing their professional
10competence.
11    (K) Protected Class Status. To grant protective class
12status to formerly convicted persons as provided in Section
137-114.
14(Source: P.A. 99-74, eff. 7-20-15.)
 
15    (775 ILCS 5/7-114 new)
16    Sec. 7-114. Protected class status for formerly convicted
17persons.
18    (A) A formerly convicted person may petition the Department
19for a grant of protected class status as provided in this
20Section. The Department may grant protected class status to a
21formerly convicted person who meets the following conditions:
22        (1) the person has complied with each term and
23    condition of his or her parole, mandatory supervised
24    release, probation, or conditional discharge;
25        (2) if the person has not obtained a high school

 

 

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1    diploma or received a high school equivalency certificate
2    and has not been diagnosed as a person having an
3    intellectual or developmental disability that prevents him
4    or her from successfully passing the high school
5    equivalency test, the person must have passed the high
6    school equivalency test and been issued a high school
7    equivalency certificate under Section 3-15.12 of the
8    School Code;
9        (3) the person must:
10            (a) be employed or actively seeking employment
11        unless the person has been diagnosed as a person having
12        an intellectual or developmental disability that
13        prevents him or her from being employed; or
14            (b) be enrolled in or have successfully completed a
15        vocational training or college educational program
16        unless the person has been diagnosed as a person having
17        an intellectual or developmental disability that
18        prevents him or her from successfully completing a
19        vocational or college educational program;
20        (4) the person must, for a minimum of 5 years after
21    completion of his or her parole, mandatory supervised
22    release, probation, or conditional discharge, not have
23    been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor under the laws of
24    this State or a municipal or county ordinance of a county
25    or municipality of this State, another state, territory, or
26    possession of the United States, federal law, or the laws

 

 

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1    of another country that guarantees due process rights
2    similar to those of the United States; and
3        (5) must have completed all sanctions imposed upon him
4    or her through due process of law for his or her
5    conviction.
6    (B) The Department shall by rule determine: (1) what
7constitutes having an intellectual or developmental disability
8that prevents the formerly convicted person from meeting the
9requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (A) of
10this Section; and (2) who is qualified to diagnose such a
11person.
12    (C) The Department shall adopt rules, subject to the
13Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, to carry out the
14provisions of this Section.
15    (D) Protected class status previously granted to a formerly
16convicted person under this Section shall be revoked by the
17Department after notice and a hearing, if the formerly
18convicted person is subsequently convicted of a felony or
19misdemeanor, other than a minor traffic offense, under the laws
20of this State, another state, territory, or possession of the
21United States, federal law, or the laws of another country that
22guarantees due process rights similar to those of the United
23States. The revocation process shall be initiated by a petition
24filed by a State's Attorney, the Attorney General, other
25prosecutor, or the Department, that sets forth the date of the
26subsequent offense, description of the offense, date of

 

 

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1conviction for the subsequent offense, and sentence imposed for
2the conviction. A copy of the petition and notice of the
3hearing date on the petition shall be served on the formerly
4convicted person.